If you're a fan of historical sagas like Game of Thrones or Rings of Power, mark your calendar for the 27th of February. That's when you can stream FX's Shōgun on Disney+. It's a beautiful epic set in feudal Japan at the dawn of a century-defining civil war, a show that's filled with drama, violence and unexpected humour too.
Armies gather and prepare for war
It's the year 1600, and Japan is on the brink of war: the clan heads don't yet know it but the Battle of Sekigahara, the biggest, most lethal battle in Japanese feudal history, is just months away.
As storm clouds gather, Yoshii Toranaga, Lord of the Kwanto and president of the Council of Regents, is fighting for his life to become Shōgun, Japan's supreme military commander. As Toranaga's enemies unite against him, he doesn't yet know that another man is about to enter his world and change it, and Japan, forever.
That man is John Blackthorne, an English pilot on board the Dutch warship Erasmus. Erasmus's mission is to disrupt Japan's ties with Portugal and the Catholic Church, but a storm blows it off course and maroons Blackthorne and a handful of survivors in a small fishing village. When the men are discovered, they are captured and held prisoner until it emerges that Blackthorne is in possession of secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power – secrets that Toranaga may have to kill for, and that others would kill to protect.
Secrets to die for – or die defending
As Blackthorne speaks little Japanese and Toranaga no English, the men come to depend on the mysterious Toda Mariko. Lady Mariko is a Christian noblewoman and the last in line of a disgraced and formerly powerful family. Mariko becomes the two men's translator and develops a relationship with Blackthorne, a relationship that leaves her torn between Blackthorne, her loyalty to the faith that saved her, and her duty to the memory of her father.
The secrets Blackthorne describes to Lady Mariko are explosive, so much so that they could deal a killer blow not just to Toranaga's enemies but to Blackthorne's too. His revelations set in motion a chain of events that will ultimately see the Englishman become the first Western man to become of Japan's legendary warriors, the Samurai.
A tale stranger than fiction
The story of FX's Shōgun isn't entirely fictional: Blackthorne is based on a real person, William Adams, the navigator who was the very first englishman to ever reach Japan and who would go on to live an extraordinary and dangerous life during one of the most turbulent times in Japan's history.
Adams' story was the inspiration for James Clavell's global best-selling novel Shōgun, a worldwide smash hit that was adapted for TV in the early 80s, and now Disney+ brings this extraordinary adventure to the screen in all its incredible glory.
An epic telling of an incredible story
FX's Shōgun delivers everything you could wish for from a historical saga: unforgettable characters, stunning battles, brutal betrayals and twists within twists within twists. It's about power, and about passion, and with its themes of precarious peace, cultural conflicts and politicians' lust for power, it's truly timeless: Toranaga and his enemies could be taken from today's headlines too.
The cast of FX's Shōgun includes Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne, Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko and Hiroyuki Sandata as Yoshii Toranaga, and it also features Tadanobu Asano, Hiroto Kanai, Takehiro Hira, Moeka Hoshi, Shinnosuke Abe and Tokuma Nishioka. Hiroyuki Sandata is also the producer. and the show was created for television by Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks, with Marks serving as showrunner and executive producer alongside Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca and Kondo. The series is produced by FX Productions.
FX's Shōgun will be streaming on Disney+ from 27 February 2024.
